New discoveries at the Templo Mayor reveal a massive ceremony under Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina

Archaeologists working at the heart of Mexico City have uncovered evidence of what may have been one of the most spectacular religious ceremonies ever staged in the Mexica capital of Tenochtitlan. Researchers from the Proyecto Templo Mayor (PTM) announced that three recently studied ritual deposits—Offerings 186, 187 and 189—appear to be part of a single, colossal ceremony carried out during the reign of Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina, the powerful huei tlatoani who ruled Tenochtitlan between 1440 and 1469. The findings were presented on February 26, 2026, during the lecture series “La arqueología hoy,” organized by El Colegio Nacional. Three years ago, the team revealed the discovery of a tepetlacalli—a Nahuatl term for a